Joe Rodgers is a sports analyst specializing in betting odds and fantasy. He has spent time with Perform Group Media, earned a master's degree, and is even a certified pace car driver.

NASCAR is (un)officially back, and bettors are ready to start cashing tickets with Sunday afternoon’s Busch Clash at Daytona (2 p.m. CT, FS1).
The preseason event features 18 drivers in a 75-lap exhibition race that kicks off Daytona Speedweeks ahead of the Feb. 16 season-opening Daytona 500.
__2020 NASCAR title odds:__ [Offseason moves impacting futures market](https://www.betchicago.com/2020-nascar-title-odds-drivers-changes)
The Clash is broken into two segments, separated by a competition caution on Lap 25. This non-points event features pole-winners from the 2019 season, along with former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 race winners, former Daytona 500 pole-winners who competed full-time last year and playoff qualifiers from a season ago.
The drawing for starting position in the Busch Clash takes place Saturday. Only four drivers have won The Clash at Daytona from the pole – Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987), Ken Schrader (1989) and Denny Hamlin (2014).
Sunday's Busch Clash marks the start of Jimmie Johnson's final season in the sport. The seven-time champion is the reigning winner of a rain-shortened Clash, cashing tickets at 25/1 odds last February. This year, Johnson is 16/1 at the Westgate SuperBook, odds twice as long as race favorites Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.
Ford has won 10 of the past 16 races at the ex-restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, so it's no surprise Logano, Keselowski and Ryan Blaney sit at the top of Sunday's oddsboard. Denny Hamlin, who has been on the front row on the final restart in six of the past nine Daytona 500s, is 10/1, along with Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch.
Due to the racecar's design and speed in the draft, NASCAR drivers have a tough time passing on the high banks of Daytona, leading some to force the issue late in the race, resulting in the infamous ["Big One"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdThKDLkl0) that can knock out a large portion of the field in a matter of seconds. The volatility makes laying -110 or -115 in a matchup less appealing than sprinkling a few dollars on longer-shot drivers in the outright markets.
We'll have our eyes on Erik Jones (20/1) in Friday and Saturday's practices to see how he's running with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
__More Daytona:__ [How bookmakers create, adjust odds for an 'unpredictable' race](https://www.betchicago.com/betting-daytona-500-updated-odds-sportsbooks)
## Odds to win 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona
Joey LOGANO 8/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Ryan BLANEY 10/1
Denny HAMLIN 10/1
Chase ELLIOTT 10/1
Kyle BUSCH 10/1
Kevin HARVICK 12/1
Kurt BUSCH 12/1
Aric ALMIROLA 16/1
Clint BOWYER 16/1
William BYRON 16/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 16/1
Alex BOWMAN 16/1
Martin TRUEX Jr 16/1
Kyle LARSON 20/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Ryan NEWMAN 25/1
Austin DILLON 25/1
## Busch Clash at Daytona betting matchups
Joey LOGANO -120
Denny HAMLIN EVEN
Brad KESELOWSKI -120
Chase ELLIOTT EVEN
Kevin HARVICK -110
Kurt BUSCH -110
Kyle BUSCH -110
Ryan BLANEY -110
Aric ALMIROLA -110
Clint BOWYER -110
William BYRON -110
Alex BOWMAN -110
Jimmie JOHNSON -110
Martin TRUEX Jr -110
Kyle LARSON -110
Erik JONES -110
## Key notes for betting The Clash
• Brad Keselowski leads active drivers in percent of laps led for The Clash at 20.9% (97 led, 463 completed). Denny Hamlin is next at 15.1%.
• Chevrolet leads manufactures with 21 Clash wins, followed by Ford with nine and Toyota with four.
• Only four drivers have won the Busch Clash in back-to-back seasons – Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Ken Schrader (1989-90), Tony Stewart (2001-02) and Kevin Harvick in (2009-10), who is the only active driver to do so.
• Active drivers with Clash wins: Jimmie Johnson (2019), Brad Keselowski (2018), Joey Logano (2017), Denny Hamlin (2016, 2014, 2006), Kevin Harvick (2013, 2010, 2009), Kyle Busch (2012) and Kurt Busch (2011).
• Only six times in the 39-year history of the race has the Busch Clash winner gone on to win the Daytona 500: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000), Jeff Gordon (1997) and Denny Hamlin (2016).
__Bookmark us:__ [Weekly NASCAR betting previews of each race](https://www.betchicago.com/nascar-betting)

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